Pearlman and his record company, Trans Continental, was sued by NSYNC in 1999 for defrauding them of millions of dollars. The lawsuit, which settled out of court, got NSYNC out of their contract with Lou, allowing them to sign with Jive Records. Lou is now serving 25 years in prison for running a Ponzi scheme.

In 2000, their second album, No Strings Attached, sold a record-breaking 2.4 million copies within the first week of release. The album ultimately sold 11.1 million copies (and counting!), and is the second-biggest selling album of the 2000’s, after The Beatles’ 1.

Backstreet Boys

Howie Dorough was the only member of The Backstreet Boys to study dance professionally.

Kevin Richardson received the most fan mail of all The Backstreet Boys members.

AJ McLean’s mom joined him every time he traveled on a concert tour. She was the group’s tour publicist.

Their first performance was in 1993 for 3,000 people at SeaWorld. They were the opening act for Shamu the killer whale.

McLean lived in the same building as Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Ryan Gosling (all members of The Mickey Mouse Club) in 1992. While playing basketball with Gosling one day, McLean asked him if he wanted to join the band. He actually expressed interest, but it obviously never happened.

Nick Carter had a minor background role in the movie, Edward Scissorhands. If you look closely during a shot of the neighborhood, you can spot Nick as one of the kids playing on a slip-and-slide.

New Kids on the Block

Joey McIntyre was only 12 years old when he joined New Kids on the Block!

The New Kids on the Block rose to fame as an opening act for the pop star, Tiffany. A year later, she was an opening act for New Kids!

In 1991, the New Kids topped Forbes’ list of highest paid entertainers, beating out Madonna, Prince, and even Michael Jackson.

Jonathan Knight left the group in 1994 not just because of his panic attacks and anxiety, but because he was exhausted from hiding his homosexuality from the rest of the group.

Jennifer Lopez once a backup dancer for the group for their performance at the American Music Awards in 1991.

Boyz II Men

Boyz II Men formed at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts in Philadelphia. The group would practice in the school’s bathrooms due to the excellent acoustics.

In 1992, Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road” set a record by staying at the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for 13 weeks straight. The record was previously held by Elvis Presley.

In 2012, the music industry rewarded Boyz II Men with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Boyz II Men recently performed in a Geico insurance ad singing about the side effects of prescription medication with the tagline, “If you’re Boyz II Men, you make anything sound good. It’s what you do.”

98 Degrees

The group 98 Degrees actually formed independently and was then later picked up by a record label, rather than being assembled by a label or producer.

To get recognition while competing with groups like The Spice Girls, The Backstreet Boys, and NYSNC, 98 Degrees emphasized that they wrote their own music and played on the fact that they were signed to Motown, which gave them a little more credibility as far as R&B and soul music goes.

The group also opened for Janet Jackson’s Velvet Rope Tour.

98 Degrees also appeared in the movie, Mulan, singing “True to Your Heart”.

Sometimes you just need a little fun in your life! Check back every week for a new “Just Bee-cause” post, where I discuss everything from celebrity news to favorite videos and websites!